Triumvirate
by nekilarose
Summary: Mariah/Alex/Shades drabbles
1. Yeah, that'll work

Alex can't believe that he gets to be the assistant to Councilwoman Mariah Dillard. She's done so much for Harlem and is looking to take it even further and he gets to have a front row seat to it all.

Of course he's heard about her cousin Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes. The self-proclaimed King who lords over everyone from his pulpit in Harlem's Paradise. Not to mention, the woman that raised them both, the infamous Mama Mabel Stokes, but the councilwoman isn't like that at all (he doesn't think he's ever heard her raise her voice)

All of that goes out the window when her cousin Cornell starts requesting more of Mariah's time. Suddenly she's swearing more, shutting him out of meetings, sending him on pointless errands (he's sure that it's just to get him out of listening range) And most alarmingly, acquires a shadow in Hernan 'Shades' Alvarez.

Dark hair, lean build, ever present smirk…evidently they grow them well in Harlem. Alex is sure he lost about ten years when he suddenly appeared in Mariah's home asking (demanding) in that low even tone to speak to her…alone. He waited, sure the councilwoman would have him thrown out on his well-dressed ass.

But once again he is dismissed, all he manages to hear is Shades asking if Mariah remembers him before he's out of earshot and out the door.

After that, Alex mentally changes Shades' name to Visa, cause he's everywhere Alex wants to be. He's halfway convinced that they're having an affair, especially when he gets a call in the middle of the night asking (demanding) that he bring a change of clothes for Mariah to Harlem's Paradise. Of course he's not allowed in to see her, just passes the garment bag to Shades at the door. Shades takes it and stifles his questions with a very curt "I got it from here, go home."

It's not until hours later as he's lying in bed that he realizes that it's the first time he's seen Shades without his ubiquitous shades, needless to say his dreams that night take on a more primal tone.

He helps Mariah through her cousin's death and the aftermath, running interference with the press when necessary. One particular reporter got bold enough to grab Mariah's arm to stop her from walking off. Later Alex would think he had no idea he could even move that fast.

As he's packing up to leave for the night, he over hears her telling the story to Shades (apparently the "confrontation" was big enough to make the news) brushing it off like no big deal "I'm telling you it was overstated, besides" at this she turns and graces him with a dazzling smile that never failed to hit him right in the gut, "Alex was there and he took care of it." Heat blooms in his chest at the compliment, but that's nothing compared to how much his pulse sky rockets when Shades turns to him, nothing hiding his eyes (he's figured by now that if Mariah is anywhere in the immediate vicinity, he'll take them off just to make eye contact with her) and gives him a slow once over.

"Thanks for keeping our girl safe." Of course Mariah had something to say about that and he made his exit before he could be included in her lecture.

He still dreamed about that look, albeit in very different circumstances.

There was a change in dynamic after "the confrontation", Mariah started to include him in her inner dealings and after his suggestion to use the dash cam video for her gain, it was like a whole new world opened up to him.

He dreams about her telling him "I taught you well" in different circumstances also.

He's going crazy with all these damn dreams and just wants it to end one way or the other. He decides to test the waters after Shades takes care of Candice and she's just finished her interview outside of the police station.

Mariah slides in with a relieved sigh "Alex you're the man."

Alex turns to meet her eyes, "Anything you need madam councilwoman, let me know" stressing the word need. He holds her gaze before Shades hands her the gun. He's driving back to Harlem's Paradise when Mariah instructs him to take them home.  
He glances in the rearview mirror and sees her looking at Shades with an eyebrow elegantly raised in question, his answer is a smirk and a look at Alex "Yeah, that'll work"


	2. Three's Company

Three's a party….

"That's all I have for tonight, do you have anything to add?" Alex inquired as he began to stand up and gather his things to leave.

"Actually, yes. I have something to discuss with you, sit down and have a drink." Mariah said switching from councilwoman to club owner with ease.

Alex turned to the bar, but found Shades was already there with his drink in hand, eyes uncovered and gloves surprisingly off. Handing Alex his drink, Shades drifted to stand next to Mariah's chair.

"One of my guys was on his way to handle the Demarco situation," Shades starts. Alex notices that he's running his thumb along the side of Mariah's neck. Alex sits up straighter and starts to think this may be one of those meetings.

"And color me surprised when he was told it was already taken care of. How did you manage that, Alex?" Mariah asked tilting her head to the side, allowing Shades to glide his thumb over her pulse point. Alex followed the progression of his thumb and shifted in his seat. "I'm sorry, I missed the question, what was it?"

Mariah laughed softly, "Doesn't matter, you handled something that could've been very damaging to us. I wanted to show you my thanks." She stands from her chair and moves to the couch, making sure to stop along the way and refresh her drink. "Or rather, Hernan wanted to show you his thanks."

Alex blinked, looking at Shades and realizing that she used his given name for the first time (at least while he was present) Shades walked towards Alex, removing his coat and tossing it to Mariah with a cheeky grin. Alex realized it was also the first time he'd seen him smile openly and joke with Mariah. He stops in front of where Alex is sitting and asks a quick "You good?"

Alex has never been better.

Shades makes quick work of his pants and before Alex know it, Shades has him in a firm grip and is stroking nice and easy. Alex is thinking of any and everything unsexy to try and prolong this, but he knows it's a lost cause when he feels the wet heat of Shades mouth. He feels his eyes roll to the back of his head and can't stop his hips from jerking and a moan escaping. He's unsure of where he's allowed to put his hands, and looks to Mariah for guidance. Which does nothing to help at all, because Mariah is laid back on the couch with her skirt up around her hips and the hand not holding her drink busy between her legs.

He lets out another desperate moan and returns his attention to the head bobbing between his legs. God, who knew that Shades could deep throat? Over and over again, and Alex is bucking into Shades' mouth, sure he can't hold on much longer. He feels a finger glide along his cheek, and on reflex opens his mouth and is flooded with Mariahs's distinct taste.

He comes so hard he swears he blacks out.

Alex is just returning to awareness when he looks to the side and sees Shades sucking Mariah's finger clean of her essence. She removes her fingers with a pop, straightens her clothes and leaves the room with a cool "Goodnight, gentlemen."


	3. Don't ask, I won't tell

"She was the first girl I jacked off to."

Alex is mid sip when this revelation is revealed, and consequently spews his drink everywhere. "What? Why are you-? I don't want to know this!" he's attempting to clean the remnants off his (expensive) vest when Shades speaks again. "I spent all summer hanging with Cornell just so I could see her."

Alex looks around, hoping Mariah was near, but no dice. "Maybe you should just lay down and enjoy the pain meds, man."

Shades grins, and Alex can fully understand why the councilwoman sometimes goes out of her way to accommodate him. Without his ever present shades, and his face open and relaxed like this, he looks years younger.

And hot! 'Go on Madam Councilwoman," Alex thinks, sneaking glances at Shades tattooed arms and torso.

They're currently in the back room of a private clinic that Shades had directed them to after their run-in with the wrong end of a .22. Alex doesn't know if the shooter was aiming for Mariah specifically, not that it mattered, because Shades was right there before either Alex or Mariah registered the man as a threat.

The gun had gone off twice in the scuffle, but Shades gave no indication that he had been hit until he directed Alex to the clinic instead of back to the house. Only saying that "he knew a guy that owed him and was discreet" Mariah was uncharacteristically gentle with Shades, letting him lay his head down in her lap and making sure to keep pressure on the wound.

Once the car arrived at the clinic, she had Alex go through and sweep the place, making sure they were the only ones there. Shades may have trusted this man, but Mariah Dillard was just making her way back into Harlem's good graces, no need for a scandal to set her back.

Once they had hustled Shades inside and the doctor (Alex assumed he was a doctor) removed his shirt, Alex felt a little light headed. The sight of all the blood and the fact that there was a freaking hole in Shades side, was a bit too much for him. Mariah caught his eye and told him to head to the house, shower and change, and bring back a change of clothes for her and Shades. Alex was pulling into the garage when he realized this was the second time he was sent to fetch a change of clothes for his boss.

20 minutes and a thorough scrubbing later, he returned to the clinic to find Shades clear of blood, his torso wrapped, and apparently high as a kite if his actions were any indication. He was lying flat on his back, but with his head turned to face Mariah his gaze softer than Alex had ever seen. He passed her the garment bag that held her clothes and as she left to go change, she trailed a finger over Shades' brow. "You two hang out while I change and make sure our little incident is being taken care of." She sweeps out of the room, not paying attention to the two men left staring after her.

And that's when Shades had apparently decided it was confession hour. He told Alex how pretty he thought she was back in the day, how she smelled so good (and still does), even how he used to volunteer to do odd errands for Mama Mabel just to be closer to Mariah. His voice got softer and eventually trailed off mid-sentence. Alex breathed a sigh of relief, he liked what he did and he respected the hell out of the councilwoman, but he did not get paid enough to listen to Mr. Gangster Consultant gush over his boss.

Mariah comes back in, looking completely unruffled by the night's events, and tells Alex to bring the car around, they load Shades in and take off.

They have a rare uneventful week, no one on the council tries to take Mariah's job, and everything at Harlem's Paradise is running smoothly. Alex is relaxing in the VIP area while Mariah is schmoozing with some of Harlem's Elite. He knocks back his drink and gets up to head down to the dance floor when Shades is suddenly at his side, steering him into a quiet nook.

Alex has been anticipating this all week, so before the shades are halfway off, he beats him to it "You didn't say anything, I didn't hear anything. We're good"

Shades pauses, his gaze locked on Alex, after a moment his lips give a half quirk and he brushes by with a "Good talk."

Alex rolls his eyes as he continues to the dance floor, "Lovesick puppy."


	4. A little praise goes a long way

Mariah has noticed that both of her boys have a..…thing for praise.

She notices it first in Alex. Young, impressionable, and oh so eager to please. She's decided that he's best suited for her "above ground" ventures, so he's been undergoing a crash course in Harlem Politics 101. Alex soon proves to be a quick learner, thinks fast on his toes, and isn't afraid to get a little dirty.

They're wrapping up one night and Alex is gathering his things to leave when Mariah tests her theory. She waits until he turns to ask his nightly question of "Will there be anything else, Madam Councilwoman?"

She takes her time standing and saunters over to where he's gone stock still. He knows that walk, and the look in her eyes that promises nothing but good things for him. She trails a hand up his chest and grips the back of his neck lightly "No that's all for tonight. Thank you, Alex. You're doing such a great job." His eyes close and she can feel him exhale heavily. She smiles softly and releases him to stumble on out the door.

"You finished playing with the puppy?" Comes the amused question from the shadows of her office.

Mariah chuckles, "Why, you want me to play with you?"

Shades hid it better, but when it was just the two of them, he bared a side of himself she suspects hasn't seen the light of day in a long time. He responds so well to a simple 'Thank you' it makes her wonder what his previous bosses were like. Having met at least one, she can infer that not a lot of gratitude was thrown around. So she makes sure, when they're alone, to let him know that she appreciates him and all that he's done.

She leaves the office, not having to look to know that he's turned off the lights and closed the door for her. She leaves her shoes at the entrance to the living room and steps to the couch to sit down gracefully.

Shades follows after a brief stop in the kitchen to grab her a glass of her favorite red, she takes the glass and makes sure to brush her fingers against his. Mariah takes a sip and gestures for him to sit down, he had long since taken off his overcoat and had unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. When he leans forward she gets a glimpse of some kind of tattoo. It hits her that she has no idea if he has more, she makes a note to ask him tonight. She's got a new set of silk ties that she's been waiting to use.

"I think Alex has earned his own room here." Mariah watches his face intently. It's a delicate balance that she's trying to strike, and it will not work unless all parties are in agreement. She supposes she can coax the right answer out of him in bed, but she'd rather not feel as if she tricked him into this arrangement.

Shades knows what she's suggesting, and he'd be lying to himself if he said the thought had never crossed his mind. He actually doesn't mind Alex, he's smart, resourceful, and won't get in his and Mariah's way. The fact that Shades has also been wondering how Alex would look with Shades' dick in his mouth while Mariah steadies him is beside the point.

"Yeah sure, we can let the puppy play with us." He says nonchalantly, knowing he's not fooling Mariah. She leans in and softly rests her lips against his neck, "Thank you, Hernan". She pulls back when she feels him shudder and decides it's time to break out the ties to praise him for being so accommodating.


End file.
